Howie Severino pays tribute to Mike Enriquez, Cesar Apolinario in new book 'People I Knew'

Veteran journalist Howie Severino paid tribute to the people who shaped his life and career through his new book, “People I Knew: And Some I Didn’t But Wrote About Them Anyway.”

The collection of essays featured stories about various people whom Severino encountered throughout his career — including fellow journalists and GMA News colleagues, the late Mike Enriquez and Cesar Apolinario.

For the book cover, Severino chose a candid photo of Enriquez, saying the image captured a more personal side of the late broadcast journalist.

“First of all, I was happy with the photograph. And then it seemed fitting because Mike is one of the subjects in the book. I actually wrote one of the longer chapters about him,” Severino said in Filipino.

The award-winning journalist said he had known Enriquez for more than 20 years.

“We were together on the airplane, in the hotel, in the field, and elsewhere. So I felt I really got to know him. I also believe he had a significant impact on our industry,” he shared.

For Severino, the photo also carried a sense of familiarity because it was taken at the wedding of their colleague. The photographer, Rolly Magpayo, was also someone Severino had met during a documentary field trip to the Babuyan Islands.

The candid image also reminded him of his earlier years as a journalist, when he would also shoot stories himself before cameras became smaller and smartphones had built-in cameras.

Enriquez, a pillar of Philippine journalism, passed away in August 2023 at the age of 71.

Meanwhile, Severino also dedicated a chapter to Apolinario, whom he described as a “kaibigan ng bayan.”

Apolinario was known not only as a reporter but also as a director — something Severino said he had been aspiring to become since he was a young reporter.

“He had many friends, but he was also a formidable reporter who went on to become a director. I followed that career because even when he was still young and just starting out as a reporter, he was already dreaming of becoming a director,” Severino said of him.

At the same time, Apolinario wanted to retain his identity as a reporter, a combination Severino found unique and reflective of his colleague’s “hard work, grit and ambition.”

Apolinario passed away in December 2019 at the age of 46.

For Severino, “People I Knew” is ultimately a book about remembering people.

The collection includes essays about his parents, grandfather, father-in-law, colleagues and friends. While many of the people featured have passed away, Severino said the book is not simply about mourning their deaths.

“Usually, when somebody we know or love passes away, we make a remembrance, a eulogy, a tribute. But I didn't want to just say I was sad or this is how I knew them,” he said.

Instead, Severino sought to contextualize their lives and explain why each person was significant — not only to him, but also to their profession, families or communities.

“Everybody has significance,” he said. “Some people have significance to the world. Some people have significance to their profession. Some people have significance to their families. But everybody has significance.”

Severino said he also hopes the book will encourage people to preserve the stories and memories of those who are growing older, particularly those who carry firsthand memories of periods that may otherwise be forgotten.

“It's important to record these memories. And it's so easy now,” he said, adding that modern technology makes it much easier to record conversations than when he was starting out as a journalist.

Ultimately, Severino hopes his book will ensure that the people he knew will be remembered not simply for the fact that they passed away, but for the lives they lived and the impact they made.

“I wanted these people to be remembered. I want others to know why I thought they were significant,” he said.

“What we write today, what we produce today, I'm sure much of it's going to outlive us,” he added. “And not only will we be remembered for what we wrote or produced, but these people included in our stories, will also be remembered.”

The Kapuso journalist and documentarist launched his new book, titled “People I Knew: And Some I Didn’t But Wrote About Them Anyway,” at the 2026 Manila International Book Fair (MIBF) on Friday, September 11.

In 1996, Severino published the book “Patrimony: 6 case studies on local politics and the environment in the Philippines.”

He currently hosts “The Howie Severino Podcast.” —JCB, GMA News